The Moon & The Sun

When the moon and the sun are on opposite sides of the Earth, and 100% of the moon’s face is illuminated by the sun, we get a full moon. Given that the moon is in constant motion in its orbit around Earth, that condition is fleeting, but the appearance of a full moon can last for a day or two. 

On October 25 of this year, the Hunter’s Moon—so called because of its coincidence with hunting season, duh—rose large and full. And it rose above the peak of Yosemite’s Half Dome. We had imaged the moonrise the night before at Ahwahnee Meadow, but the 25th gave us a transit that suited the Tunnel View prospect better. 

We have several images from the moonrise sequence, but this is one of our favorites: it reveals the sunset’s golden illumination of El Capitan and Half Dome—which was a show in and of itself—just as the moon peeks out above the horizon.